Efforts of church's youth help feed thousands

By Steve Huffman/Times-News

Published: Sunday, March 17, 2013 at 08:21 PM.

Young people from the church raised enough money to pay for 20,000 dried meals provided by Stop Hunger Now’s meal packing program. What church members were doing Sunday was package the meals and prepare them for shipment to a gathering point in Raleigh from which officials with Stop Hunger Now will send them on their way to destinations around the globe.

Those at First United on Sunday didn’t lollygag, working at a pace that showed they meant business.

“We’ve got a little competition between tables,” Brumble said, referring to the various stations where the packing was taking place. “They’re taking their jobs seriously.”

This all started about four weeks ago, on the first day of Lent, when youth asked members of the congregation to donate money so they could feed the hungry in other countries. Twenty-five cents paid for one packaged dried meal.

Brumble said the initial goal set by the youth was to collect about $2,500, enough to purchase ingredients for 10,000 meals. Instead, they collected $5,000, so the number of meals they were preparing Sunday was at least doubled.

The meals consist of dry goods, including rice and vitamin powder. Once the food is delivered to foreign countries, all that’s required is that it be rehydrated.

Mikayla Tate was one of the church’s youth members who helped organize the food drive. She said she and other youth got the idea after attending a pilgrammage in Fayetteville sponsored by Stop Hunger Now.

GRAHAM – “One Way or Another” was blasting from speakers in the fellowship hall at First United Methodist Church in Graham late Sunday afternoon.

It probably wasn’t intended, but the rock anthem made popular by Blondie pretty well described the efforts of the 60 or so church members who were hard at it as the music played.

Mike Brumble, one of the church’s youth advisors, even used words from the song to describe what was taking place.

“We’re going to do it,” he said. “We’re going to do it – one way or another.”

Members of First United were busying themselves by packing food for 20,000 people. The event was sponsored by the church’s United Methodist Youth Fellowship group – but members of all ages involved themselves in the packing endeavor.

The one thing everyone had in common was that each a wore hairnet and washed their hands with sanitizer before getting going.

Young people from the church raised enough money to pay for 20,000 dried meals provided by Stop Hunger Now’s meal packing program. What church members were doing Sunday was package the meals and prepare them for shipment to a gathering point in Raleigh from which officials with Stop Hunger Now will send them on their way to destinations around the globe.

Those at First United on Sunday didn’t lollygag, working at a pace that showed they meant business.

“We’ve got a little competition between tables,” Brumble said, referring to the various stations where the packing was taking place. “They’re taking their jobs seriously.”

This all started about four weeks ago, on the first day of Lent, when youth asked members of the congregation to donate money so they could feed the hungry in other countries. Twenty-five cents paid for one packaged dried meal.

Brumble said the initial goal set by the youth was to collect about $2,500, enough to purchase ingredients for 10,000 meals. Instead, they collected $5,000, so the number of meals they were preparing Sunday was at least doubled.

The meals consist of dry goods, including rice and vitamin powder. Once the food is delivered to foreign countries, all that’s required is that it be rehydrated.

Mikayla Tate was one of the church’s youth members who helped organize the food drive. She said she and other youth got the idea after attending a pilgrammage in Fayetteville sponsored by Stop Hunger Now.

Tate, 18, said once they decided on the drive, the young people threw themselves into the project wholeheartedly.